Seeing red: La Rocca's suspension sure to test Western Sydney's depth - Sydney Morning Herald

No further action: Iacopo La Rocca. Photo: Getty Images

Western Sydney Wanderers will be without key utility Iacopo La Rocca for their inaugural A-League final series after the club elected not to contest his four-match ban.

La Rocca was shown a straight red card by referee Kris Griffiths-Jones for elbowing Sydney FC's Terry Antonis late in Saturday's pulsating 1-1 draw and will not play again this season. While a direct red card attracts a mandatory one-game suspension, the A-League's match review panel decided the incident warranted an additional sanction of three matches.

It means the Wanderers will be without La Rocca for Friday's match against Newcastle, their home semi-final and the grand final, should they make it that far.

La Rocca's loss is a serious concern for coach Tony Popovic with Japanese star Shinji Ono, Jerome Polenz, Michael Beauchamp and Aaron Mooy all carrying injuries.

The Wanderers' depth is certain to be put to the test as they attempt to secure the Premier's Plate when they face Newcastle in their final-round clash on Friday.

Popovic said he wouldn't gamble on the fitness of his players.

''Some of them have made some progress and we will continue to monitor them and give them every opportunity to play,'' he said. ''However, we will only play players who are fully fit to take the pitch, and we will not take any risks.''

Meanwhile, the Wanderers have accepted full ownership of an incident involving a group of fans harassing a Sydney FC supporter before last weekend's derby.

Video emerged on Monday of a man wearing a Sydney FC shirt being hit by an object as a mob of chanting Wanderers fans moved past a Parramatta restaurant before last Saturday night's match.

Police made seven arrests for unruly behaviour on the night. ''Our club's got to take full ownership for this, and we do,'' executive chairman Lyall Gorman said. ''We don't stand for this and nor will we stand for it. It's not a part of a our brand in any shape or form and we'll do whatever we can with stakeholders to weed it out of the game.''

Gorman said 14 supporters have already been banned from the game for at least five years during the club's inaugural A-League season, and predicts more to come.

''We've still got this minority hooligan thug element who will try and break those rules wherever they can,'' he said. ''If there's 30, 40 or 50 people we've still got to get out of this game we'll do everything we can to do it. Be assured: They will be banned for a very, very lengthy period from our game, let alone what actions follow through from normal legal due process.'' Superintendent Robert Redfern from Parramatta Local Area Command said police are reviewing footage but no complaint had been made.

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